For Freshmen. By Freshmen.

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Going off to college is a totally new experience and let’s be real here, it’s a tough experience to get used to. Yes, you’re going to have tons of fun and tons of new experiences that you’ll end up loving, but it’s overwhelming. And maybe it was just me, but the last week before college was one of the hardest weeks I’ve ever gone through.

I work over the summer as a camp counselor, mainly with kids ages five and six, or entering first and second grade. After eight weeks together, it’s hard to let those kids go to school and leave for the rest of the year. It’s harder than it looks. One kid starts crying, then the next, the next and so on. It’s a never ending train wreck that doesn’t seem to go well ever. It definitely doesn’t help that most of these kids are kids you have seen grow up. I’ve worked with same kids for multiple years, seeing them mature from age five to eight. It’s scary.

I’ve also had way too many of my old high school friends ask to hang out the week before I leave. Talk about a busy schedule; it’s breakfast with my old teammates, then lunch with my old violin teacher, then dinner with a friend who I’ve yet to see all summer. It’s a lot, and it’s anxiety building at times, but so worth it. Getting to see all of them is so nice, but at this point, I’d like to just get a little bit of rest.

The parents are also hovering like crazy this last week. Every day we go over what I need or don’t need, even though everything has been packed for the past two weeks. Sometimes, we miss something, like today we forgot I needed a flashlight, and even adding that adds some sort of memory my mother has to tell me to make me feel nostalgic and sad that I’m leaving.

Last but not least, I have to clean my dreaded room. My dad told me that the room has to look ready to move in, as if they would rent it out. Not that they would, but I guess it does actually have to be clean. I mean, I like the way that it looks, a little pile of books by my bed, some notebooks under the desk, it’s who I am. Cleaning it has been really hard, especially when everything I touch reminds me of something I’ll miss.

So yes, it’s a hard week filled with anxiety, tears, laughter and much more. But it’s exciting to go to college. I don’t think anything will be better in the world for me. I just wish I wouldn’t miss so much or have to do so much beforehand.

Jade Miller is a sophomore at the University of Rochester double majoring in Business and English Literature. She is a Junior Editor for the Fresh U national site. She is a member of the sorority Gamma Phi Beta and also a coxswain for UR Rowing. She loves dogs, reading, and having a single this year in her res hall. Follow her on Twitter @jade_miller_

Fresh U is an online publication for freshmen, by freshmen. We’re focused on content meaningful to freshmen, something overlooked by general college websites or school newspapers. This isn’t just an online destination for freshmen - Fresh U gives freshmen the opportunity to become published writers and to be involved in the process of running their own publication.